Pre-cast tilt-up, cast on site or off site, (also known as Pre-cast tilt-slab or tilt-wall) concrete construction is not new and has been in use since the turn of the century. Since the mid-1940s it has developed into the preferred method of construction for many types of buildings and structures in the U.S. Pre-cast concrete construction has many advantages that are well known in the art. The Pre-cast concrete panels can significantly reduce the initial cost of construction and provide a relatively low-cost low-maintenance structure. Depending on the size and type of application, such Pre-cast panels can be fabricated and stored offsite then delivered just in time for installation. They can also be constructed by prefabricating the walls on the construction site thereby eliminating relatively expensive transportation costs (prefabrication on site).
After concrete footings and a concrete slab or any level base have been poured and properly cured, or a level casting bed (or any other level substrate) has been constructed, as Pre-cast tilt-up concrete structural panels can be formed on the concrete slab. In tilt-up concrete construction, vertical concrete elements, such as walls, columns, structural supports, and the like, are formed horizontally on a concrete slab; usually the building floor, but sometimes on a temporary concrete casting. After the concrete has cured, the elements are tilted from horizontal to vertical with a crane and braced into position until the remaining building structural components are secured. In the same way, the Pre-cast concrete panels can be formed in an offsite location, or on site location, using various types of forms well known in the art. After curing the Pre-cast and cured panels are transported to the building site and installed by means and methods well known in the art.
Construction of a Pre-cast concrete wall panel is begun by carefully planning out the size and shape of the wall panel on a suitable surface, such as the concrete slab, or any other level substrate (i.e., floor) of the building being constructed. A form release agent and bond breaker is then applied to the concrete slab and to panel forms in accordance with manufacturer recommendations.
After the form is constructed, a grid of steel rebar is constructed and tied in-place within the form to reinforce the structural panel. Plastic or metal support chairs are used to support the rebar grid, at a proper depth. Inserts provide attachment points for lifting hardware and temporary braces.
Before concrete is placed in the form, the slab or casting surface must be cleaned and a release bond breaking agent is applied to prevent the panel from bonding to the casting surface. Regardless of the type of bond breaking agent used, there is always a certain amount of bond formed between the Pre-cast panel and the casting surface that must be broken before the panels will separate, from the casting surface. Additional steel reinforcement is factored in so that the concrete panels can be lifted in place without damage. Concrete is then placed in the form in the same manner as floor slabs. The concrete is usually consolidated to ensure good flow around the steel rebar grid. Then, the concrete surface can be finished in any desired manner, such as trowel finish or other types of architectural finishes and patterns. On optional level substrates, the down side reflective surface can also be made decorative with types of artistic finishes and patterns.
Numerous innovations for the wall systems have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present design as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to this application at hand, as well as a description outlining the difference between the features of the Pre-cast Decorative Retaining Wall System and the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,684 of Tokaito Shibata describes a decorative Pre-cast concrete boards having a pore-free decorative porcelain-tile-like, hewn-stone-like or relief surface and a porous core layer are provided. Such Pre-cast concrete boards are produced by applying inorganic cement mortar containing siliceous volcanic sand called “shirasu” in a flat mold made of an elastomeric material so as to form the pore-free surface and pouring thereon an inorganic concrete mortar containing expanded particles of said siliceous sand as the aggregate. The concrete boards do not suffer efflorescence.
This patent describes decorative Pre-cast concrete boards having a pore-free decorative porcelain-tile-like, hewn-stone-like or relief surface and a porous core layer. Although this patent does describe decorative features it does not describe the unique back lighted tesserae components or the unique buttress support feature for constructing higher retaining walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,615 of Daniel R. Saritiorff describes a modular stone panels which simulate assembled masonry, and are useful for decorative walls, retaining walls, facings for structures and the like. Pre-cast stone-faced panels are made by setting stones such as field stone having at least one relatively flat face, substantially directly on the bottom of a rectangular mold. The stones are set in the mold individually while packing sand around and between the stones but not under them. This is done by sliding each stone laterally across the bottom of the mold, thereby packing the sand while substantially keeping the stones supported immovably against the bottom. The stones do not float on a sand bed and the sand between them is packed. Thus the stone and sand are less readily displaced by concrete poured over them during vibration, causing a liquid portion of the concrete to diffuse into the sand. Retaining rods are carried on coil threaded rods that are removed to provide either points of attachment for mounting or lifting, or as weep holes. The retaining rods can extend into edge cavities and preferably into tubular receptacles, filled with concrete to lock joints between adjacent panels. For making corners, alternating stones protrude from the concrete in a first cast panel, and are interleaved with stones when casting a next panel so as to extend around the corner in lieu of a solid concrete strip. The stone facing can extend over only a part of the panel height, particularly for retaining walls, which can be passively braced using the threaded point of attachment and a buried anchor such as an automobile tire.
This patent describes decorative walls, retaining walls, facings for structures and the like done by sliding each stone laterally across the bottom of the mold, thereby packing the sand while substantially keeping the stones supported immovably against the bottom. This patent does not describe the unique back lighted tesserae components or the buttress support feature. It also does not describe the use of the decorative walls in a smaller scale to be used as monument walls of quickly assembled fencing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,555,584 of Romeo Harkin Ciuperca describes a method of forming a concrete structure. The method comprises placing plastic concrete in a form of a desired shape, encasing the concrete in insulating material having insulating properties equivalent to at least 1 inch of expanded polystyrene and allowing the plastic concrete to at least partially cure inside the insulating material. An insulated concrete form and a method of using the insulated concrete form are also disclosed.
This patent describes a method that comprises placing plastic concrete in a form of a desired shape, encasing the concrete in insulating material. This patent does not describe the buttress support features of this application along with the elevated decorative features, it also does not describe the use of the decorative walls in a smaller scale to be used as monument walls or quickly assembled fencing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,667 of Peter Anthony Nasdvik et al. describes a contoured wall and method is disclosed for creating the contour and appearance of a wall formed from individual assembled units such as stones. The wall is formed from a plurality of mating form liners each having a reciprocal contoured surface to that of the desired stone wall. The wall is formed from hardenable construction material such as concrete poured between two mold members with the form liners attached to at least one of the mold members. Each of the form liners has a lateral relief mold face adapted to provide a molded surface having the contour of a stone wall. Each lateral relief mold face of the form liners has a latticework non-linear mortar-forming interlocking portion surrounding stone-forming recessed portions. The form liners are positionable in a plurality of arrangements wherein the interlocking portions and recessed portions along the mating edge of each form liner mate along mating edge of the adjacent form liner to form a continuous lateral relief mold face.
This patent describes a contoured wall and method for creating the contour and appearance of a wall formed from individual assembled units such as stones. Although this patent does describe decorative features it does not describe the wide variety of features including the unique back lighted tesserae components or the unique buttress support feature.
None of these previous efforts, however, provides the benefits attendant with the Pre-cast Decorative Retaining Wall System. The present design achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing readily available materials.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the Pre-cast Decorative Retaining Wall System in detail it is to be understood that the design is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement, of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The Pre-cast Decorative Retaining Wall System is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.